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Just bought a house 9 months ago with a short driveway on a hill. I bought a basketball goal that I placed ON MY PROPERTY (not in the street or a gutter) but facing the street and of course received the nasty gram from the city. I am the next to the last house on the street and the road dead ends (no thru traffic). Interestingly, there is a second goal on the same street; one has been here since I moved 9 months ago at the other end facing the street as mine is.
Questions:
1) How can I find out which one of my great neighbors reported us ~ clearly only this end of the street?
2) Since the goal is "not standing in the traveled portion of the streets or gutters of the City" as worded in the code, then how is this in violation of that code?
I understand kids are not supposed to play in the street or sidewalks (which is another thread).
All the kids on this end of the street use the goal more than my son which has been great for everyone. The kids are playing in the street riding scooters, etc. (Street ends ~ no thru traffic)
3) What recourse do I have other than moving the goal? Can I move it back a few feet?
It's not worth the fight in my opinion. I'm sure there is a nearby county park with goals and other people. If your neighbors don't wish to hear the bouncing of a ball while they're watching a movie, they have that right. You had the option of buying in a neighborhood with more distant neighbors. You didn't do that.
I'm with you on this by the way; I shoot hoops quite often with friends and my sons. However, I did not put up a goal in my neighborhood because I know that some folks on my street would not like that.
If your goal is not actually in the street, pick up the phone and call whoever sent the letter and ask why you're getting a letter about a goal that's not in the street. Chances are some hack took a call from a disgruntled neighbor and sent a letter without even bothering to check the offense.
I have a neighbor who is an attorney...she works from home, looked out her window and saw some dude putting her goal in his pickup. She took all 5 feet and 80 pounds of herself outside and asked WTF he was doing. He was a minion of the HOA and had been sent after a complaint (she lives in a very small cu de sac, there's maybe 7 houses on the whole street). She informed him that he could not take the goal without prior notice that she never received (and said more I'm sure). This was a few years ago, her goal still sits in the street. Violation of HOA rules? Yep. Messing with her again? Nope.
11-6005 is about items in a street. His goal is not in the street. City staff may have inaccurately interpreted the snitch, or the snitcher may have misrepresented the situation. I would guess thousands of homes in Raleigh have basketball goals in driveways. Call the City staff and push back hard. If they can quote a chapter in the municipal code that speaks directly to basketball goals on your property -- perhaps something in the new zoning ordinance that I've never heard of -- then go from there.
I don't know what your street is or what the situation is but there usually is right of way owned by the city/state within a few feet of the pavement that you actually don't own - is the hoop located near the street potentially in the right of way?
It's not worth the fight in my opinion. I'm sure there is a nearby county park with goals and other people. If your neighbors don't wish to hear the bouncing of a ball while they're watching a movie, they have that right. You had the option of buying in a neighborhood with more distant neighbors. You didn't do that.
I'm with you on this by the way; I shoot hoops quite often with friends and my sons. However, I did not put up a goal in my neighborhood because I know that some folks on my street would not like that.
Response:
There are 10 basketball hoops in my small neighborhood. So, bouncing balls will not be resolved. I can move it further in the driveway on a hill which is an option and continue to bounce balls.
2) Since the goal is "not standing in the traveled portion of the streets or gutters of the City" as worded in the code, then how is this in violation of that code?
I assume there's a phone number on the "nasty gram". Why not call and ask? A detour to consult with the City-Data collective is only going to serve to anger you more. (Unless that's your goal?)
Just bought a house 9 months ago with a short driveway on a hill. I bought a basketball goal that I placed ON MY PROPERTY (not in the street or a gutter) but facing the street and of course received the nasty gram from the city. I am the next to the last house on the street and the road dead ends (no thru traffic). Interestingly, there is a second goal on the same street; one has been here since I moved 9 months ago at the other end facing the street as mine is.
Questions:
1) How can I find out which one of my great neighbors reported us ~ clearly only this end of the street?
2) Since the goal is "not standing in the traveled portion of the streets or gutters of the City" as worded in the code, then how is this in violation of that code?
I understand kids are not supposed to play in the street or sidewalks (which is another thread).
All the kids on this end of the street use the goal more than my son which has been great for everyone. The kids are playing in the street riding scooters, etc. (Street ends ~ no thru traffic)
3) What recourse do I have other than moving the goal? Can I move it back a few feet?
Thanks!
I see the problem here.
You turned your cul de sac into party city and the basketball goal draws the kids and (no doubt) more noise and basketballs hitting pavement nonstop.
Stop letting every kid on the street hang out down there and nobody will care.
Let your son use the goal, along with occasional friends. You have unintentionally turned your home into a community park.
If I lived next door to you and liked some privacy and quiet, I'd be annoyed, too.
Granted, I don't think I'd call the city, but are you absolutely sure the kids who wander in and out of your driveway and into the cul de sac aren't doing any damage to the neighboring properties? Grass, flower beds, hedges, etc?
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